The Arrival Of The Envelope

The manila envelope with a return address of Department of the Army, U.S. Army Human Resources Command arrived Friday addressed to MY HUSBAND! Yep, you guessed it, Mike has been recalled and attached to a unit that is deploying to Iraq.

My first thoughts went a little something like this:

"This is not fair...how can this be happening?"

"I can't do this again, I just had a baby."

"What are we going to do?"

"This has got to be the worst day in a long time."

Mike's first words about the matter:

"This sucks!!!"

However, since it has been a day and we have tried to look at the more positive side of things, I realize that this is what I was talking about....patriotism. This is our country, several of men and women have fought for my freedom. It is now our turn to sacrifice and serve our country.

I know I could sit around and have a pity party for myself, but what is that going to do me? I am going to be positive (as much as possible) and make the best of this situation. And, if I get all whiny and annoying, just tell me to SHUT UP because things could be a lot worse!!!

All I ask is for you to keep Mike in your prayers. He is going to a dangerous place and is going to need all the blessings he can get. Pray for him to always feel the presence of our Heavenly Father, that he will never feel alone. Send him emails and packages so that he knows we are all thinking of him and appreciate all he (and all the other soldiers) is doing for us and our country.

As for the kiddos, please keep them in your prayers also. They don't understand a whole lot about this world we live in, and are unable to grasp the concept as to why their Daddy has to leave again.

So, as for me....I'm A Soldier's Wife.....Again!!!

My Daily Thoughts......If You Really Wanna Know!

Today was just the average pleasant day. But for some reason I thought I would share some of my random thoughts that have run through my mind today.

First off, I have to say that I have the BEST BABY ever. I can't explain how utterly sweet it is to have a tired baby who is ready for a nap and I just wrap him up like a burrito, lay him down, give him the pacifier, and he goes to sleep....ALL BY HIMSELF! No rocking, walking, bouncing, holding, whatever. He just goes to sleep. Man, I love it!!!

Second, how in the world do moms all over the world keep up on LAUNDRY? I swear I just get it all done, only to find the baskets are all FULL again. How does this happen? It truly boggles my mind and somewhat depresses me. How my mom did it with FIVE kids is beyond me. I can't keep up with the three I have. So if anyone has any solutions to my sad situation, please give my some guidance!

Third, I love to go grocery shopping and save LOTS and LOTS of money. I started this Grocery Smarts program, and I love it. I have been able to build up for food storage and save lots of money while doing so. Today I went to Albertson's and my total (before my savings) was $105.57, after all my coupons and savings, I only spent $41.27. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

Fourth, some people feel that store bought Shampoo and Conditioner are just has nice for your hair than salon Shampoo and Conditioner. I must tell you all that you are sadly MISTAKEN! Salon hair products are so much better for your hair. I decided to try a new SALON hair product - thanks to Chelsey!!! I was using Biolage (which I love), but I swapped over to Pureology and I am now in love with this Shampoo and Conditioner. It is amazing what it does to my hair. Call me crazy, but it really does make a difference.

Why am I rambling on and on about nothing? Well, I warned ya in the title....!!!

Who Would Have Ever Known.....

Beware of the Dog!

Who would have ever known that this game for

children can and will scare even the bravest adult!

On Sunday, we had Scott, Shaunna, Tammie & Jason over for dinner. After dinner, we are all outside roasting marshmallows when none other than Scott says he has a GREAT game for us to play. Tammie and Jason decided it was getting late and headed out for the night. We decided to break out this "great" game and play for a minute. Scott filled us in on the fact that it looked like this great game for kids and it should be a lot of fun. Ha Ha Ha....this game scared the living daylights out of me. I might even admit that a small naughty word escaped my lips when the dog woke up. Cooper and Charlee were scared to death of it. Charlee watched nervously while Cooper went in the other room and plugged his ears. Both were pleading that the dog NOT wake up.....EVER!!!! Anyway, it was pretty funny though. We all had a good laugh at each other's expense. However, if you were thinking of getting this game for your kids, make sure they aren't sissy kids like mine, or they won't like it!!!

Forever For Always & No Matter What.....

Brody, Jackson and Griffin. Best Buddies!

To All The Soldiers....May God Bless

Well this post is going out to the soldiers that serve our country. I must admit I never really had a sense of patriotism until Mike joined the Army back in 2004. Since that time, I have come to realize how much the freedom we enjoy in our country rests on the men and women who serve in the armed forces.

Mike served in the Army for three years and I was excited the day his enlistment was OVER! It meant no more going away for long periods of time, having a husband and father at home again, no more worrying about being deployed to Iraq, etc. But tonight I was talking to my great friend Alicia - who we met while in the army. Her husband too, served his time and retired from the Army. However, a few weeks ago he received a letter demanding his return to deploy to Iraq for 12-15 months. Paul is now active duty army, and being shipped off to Iraq to serve our country.
We pray for your safe return Paul, we love you and our prayers are with you always!

I know these soldiers put their life on the line for us everyday, and for that I am truly grateful. I would like to remind everyone of the sacrifice that a soldiers family makes as well. The wives that remain home with the children, being both a mother and a father, THANK YOU! It is not an easy job being a mom, and having to do it alone is much harder. Not only do you have the stress of being a single parent, but you also have the constant stress of knowing that your spouse is in danger every minute of every day. Being a soldiers wife is not easy. So hang in there Alicia, I know you can do it! I don't mind listening to you vent and complain - whenever you need it, I am here! And, thank you for being strong enough to let your husband go serve so we at home can enjoy our freedom!

Since it is Thanksgiving time and the time to remember what we are thankful for, I would like to express my thanks to those serving our country, in all areas. Be it soldiers overseas, at war, and at home protecting us here...THANK YOU! I am grateful I live in a country where I have the freedom to believe in what I want, the freedom to raise my children how I see fit, and the freedom to love and honor my God, my Heavenly Father.

On The Naughty List!

So, Charlee was a little naughty this year. Last month we took Charlee shopping with us to pick out Cooper's birthday presents. We constantly reminded her that it was very important NOT to tell Cooper what he was getting. Well, we hadn't been home for more than an hour and Cooper told me that Charlee told him what we got him for his birthday. I then told her she was naughty and I was calling Santa to have him put her on the naughty list.

I tell you this because........

Tonight we are making our Christmas List's. I gave the kids a paper with their names on it, and decorated it all up so it was all Christmas Cute! (ya know, it's gotta be cute lookin').

Cooper - "I can't wait for Christmas. I am so excited to see what Santa is going to bring me."

Charlee - "I am on the naughty list....... Mom, is Santa going to bring me anything?"

Mom- "Maybe you had better write Santa a letter and tell him you are going to be SUPER good, and try and redeem yourself!"

Charlee- "But I am good sometimes mom."

Mom- "But you are mostly naughty Charlee."

Charlee- "Yeah, I know!!!" (with a little giggle)

Cooper- "I dunno Char, Santa has you on the naughty list and it is super hard to get off THAT list."

So, how mean am I for telling her she is on Santa's naughty list and she isn't getting anything from him this year?